This unit looks to teach students how to identify and utilize themes in literary works in order to add depth to their reading experiences. This will be taught while simultaneously reading Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" and identifying the use of themes. Students will use a variety of graphic organizers to help them visualize and understand the development of themes and their connection to the plot of “The Golden Compass.” After finishing “The Golden Compass,” students will compile a digital portfolio exhibiting the development of a particular theme throughout the course of the text. Students will complete the unit by creating an alternative cover on Glogster that accurately depicts what they believe to be the most significant theme in “The Golden Compass.” This unit has been planned for seventh graders, but can be utilized and modified for any Jr. High or High School classroom.
Establish Goals
Common Core State Standards
Content Area: English
Grade Level: Grade 7
Domain: Reading- Literature
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
Standard: (2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Students will understand that
• there are a wide array of themes in every piece of literature.
• these themes develop over the course of the story.
• by piecing together these themes, a reader can piece together an objective summary of the text.
Essential Questions
• Why do books have themes?
• How can you find development of themes in a story?
• How do these themes play into the plot of the story?
Students will know
• Critical Details:
when Lyra learns about dust, when Lyra become the assistant of Ms. Coulter, when Lyra learns the truth about the Gobblers, when Lyra discovers the truth about her parentage, the Meeting of Iorik Byrnison, finding the "cut" child, finding Bolvangar, finding the "cut" demons, the truth about "cutting," the escape from Bolvangar, the Battle of the Armored Bears.
• Sequence and Timelines:
the period of the book in relation to the kinds of themes and how the sequence of events relate to the developing themes.
• Vocabulary:
the meaning of theme, moral, daemon, oblation, and cut.
Students will be able to
• describe the themes of a literary text.
•represent the themes with characters from "The Golden Compass."
• decide what is a theme and what is a moral.
• analyze the course of themes throughout "The Golden Compass."
• relate the changing themes to the plot of "The Golden Compass."
• recognize when a theme is playing into the plot of "The Golden Compass."
Performance Task Overview
Upon being made into a feature film in 2007, "The Golden Compass" became a huge success in the holiday box offices. However, mortified parents soon discovered that the actual novel was much darker than the film and novel cover art revealed, placing a negative public opinion and causing the novel to be banned in many schools. You are a literary critic who feels this book would be a bestseller for older readers and should be re-released. Your job is to create an alternative cover that accurately represents what you feel is the most important theme in the book that will appeal to young adult and adult readers. Your creation will be judged by the author, Philip Pullman, and the Laurel Leaf publishing company and only one will be chosen as the official cover art of the re-released "The Golden Compass." Each cover design must also include a two-page justification. The justification must include your reasoning behind your theme, an explanation behind your image and artistic choices, and why you feel your cover will appeal to the appropriate audiences.
Expectations
Absences: Students will be expected to come to class on time, however, life does happen. If you are sick, have a family emergency, or an unexpected circumstance, you are expected to follow up on any missed work on your own. This can be accessed through the class wiki or your classmates. If you have any specific questions about the work you missed, please feel free to email me or come during my office hours. I am also willing to schedule meetings outside my regular office hours, if my stated ones do not fit in your schedule. I do ask, if you do schedule an outside meeting, that you show up on time, with specific questions, and all your necessary materials.
Plagiarism: If I suspect a student has copied the work of a classmate or outside source, I will return the assignment to them and give them a chance to fix the plagiarism issue, within a reasonably decided block of time . I understand that unintentional accidents happen, and I will not publicly accuse you of any crime. Any issues of plagiarism will be kept in a need to know group.
Assignments: I understand that some assignments will seem harder than others, and I am more than willing to help you by answering any questions you might have. If most of your homework is completed by the day it is due, and you only have a couple clarifying questions, I will still accept the assignment by the end of the day with no penalty. If a sudden emergency occurs that keeps you from completing your homework, I will ask that your legal guardian either email, calls, or writes me a note explaining why it is you could not complete the assignment. I will accept the assignment the next day at the start of class with no penalty if these requirements are met.
Classroom Expectations: I ask that students respect me, their peers, and the classroom by treating all as they would like to be treated. Any outside conflicts or problems will be asked to be left at the door upon entering, and will not distract from the day's lesson. If you feel you need a few minutes to collect yourself, I will allow an opportunity to get a drink, take a walk to the bathroom, and take a few deep breaths. If something is happening that you feel you need to bring to my attention, I ask that you wait for a moment when the class is working and I will glad meet with you in the hall. Any stories or personal experiences shared in glass will be respected and will stay within the classroom.
Point Total for Unit: 200 points.
Benchmarks
• Brochure: Using Microsoft to create a brochure that advertises the themes, using at least four themes from the short story I read aloud to the class. The brochures will have accurate themes from the short story, with correct descriptions and explanations. The overall brochures should be engaging and show clear, organized thought. This assignment is worth 10 points.
• Glogster: Students will create a collage depicting the relationship between a character and a theme. Students must utilize at least one component of sound and/or video in their glogster, and at least four pictures. The correlation between the character and themes should be understandable, and accurate to how the character they choose is represented in "The Golden Compass." This assignment if worth 20 points.
• Comic Life: Students will create a comic that depicts the difference between a theme and a moral. Each comic must have at least two panels, but no more than six. The definitions should be clear and in the student's own words, based off of the definitions given in the previous class with visuals that add to the explanation. This assignment is worth 10 points.
• Blog: Students will write a blog entry for every chapter, analyzing and theme and connecting it to what happened. Each blog is expected to have corrected grammar and spelling, using complete sentences and thoughts. Students may utilize videos, pictures, or some other form of media that adds to their blog entry. Overall each entry should show clear evidence that the student has done the reading and has thought constructively about what they have read. This assignment is worth 20 points.
• Digital Portfolio: At the end of the book, students will create a digital portfolio that shows how a particular theme has progressed and changed throughout the the story. Each portfolio must have at least five artifacts that show the development of one theme throughout the course of "The Golden Compass." Students will utilize work done by their classmates and will exchange thoughts and ideas about the various themes through blogs, glogsters, brochures, etc. This assignment is worth 25 points.
• Timeline: Students will use "ReadWriteThink" to track the vital points of the story and connect it to a theme. Each timeline must include at least ten events, with each supported by a theme. Students are allowed to use a theme multiple times, but must use at least two. The timeline should show constructive thinking about the themes as they progress through "The Golden Compass." This assignment is worth 15 points.
Final Performance Task is worth 100 points.
Grading Scale
A (93 -100), A- (90 - 92), B+ (87 - 89), B (83 - 86), B- (80 - 82), C+(77 - 79), C (73-76), C- (70 - 72), D+(67 - 69), D (63 - 66), D- (60 - 62), F (0 - 59).
Office Location: Purington Hall
Office Hours: 6-9pm
E-mail: kaitlyn.bowie@maine.edu
Summary of Unit
This unit looks to teach students how to identify and utilize themes in literary works in order to add depth to their reading experiences. This will be taught while simultaneously reading Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" and identifying the use of themes. Students will use a variety of graphic organizers to help them visualize and understand the development of themes and their connection to the plot of “The Golden Compass.” After finishing “The Golden Compass,” students will compile a digital portfolio exhibiting the development of a particular theme throughout the course of the text. Students will complete the unit by creating an alternative cover on Glogster that accurately depicts what they believe to be the most significant theme in “The Golden Compass.” This unit has been planned for seventh graders, but can be utilized and modified for any Jr. High or High School classroom.Establish Goals
Common Core State StandardsStudents will understand that
• there are a wide array of themes in every piece of literature.• these themes develop over the course of the story.
• by piecing together these themes, a reader can piece together an objective summary of the text.
Essential Questions
• Why do books have themes?• How can you find development of themes in a story?
• How do these themes play into the plot of the story?
Students will know
• Critical Details:when Lyra learns about dust, when Lyra become the assistant of Ms. Coulter, when Lyra learns the truth about the Gobblers, when Lyra discovers the truth about her parentage, the Meeting of Iorik Byrnison, finding the "cut" child, finding Bolvangar, finding the "cut" demons, the truth about "cutting," the escape from Bolvangar, the Battle of the Armored Bears.
• Sequence and Timelines:
the period of the book in relation to the kinds of themes and how the sequence of events relate to the developing themes.
• Vocabulary:
the meaning of theme, moral, daemon, oblation, and cut.
Students will be able to
• describe the themes of a literary text.•represent the themes with characters from "The Golden Compass."
• decide what is a theme and what is a moral.
• analyze the course of themes throughout "The Golden Compass."
• relate the changing themes to the plot of "The Golden Compass."
• recognize when a theme is playing into the plot of "The Golden Compass."
Performance Task Overview
Upon being made into a feature film in 2007, "The Golden Compass" became a huge success in the holiday box offices. However, mortified parents soon discovered that the actual novel was much darker than the film and novel cover art revealed, placing a negative public opinion and causing the novel to be banned in many schools. You are a literary critic who feels this book would be a bestseller for older readers and should be re-released. Your job is to create an alternative cover that accurately represents what you feel is the most important theme in the book that will appeal to young adult and adult readers. Your creation will be judged by the author, Philip Pullman, and the Laurel Leaf publishing company and only one will be chosen as the official cover art of the re-released "The Golden Compass." Each cover design must also include a two-page justification. The justification must include your reasoning behind your theme, an explanation behind your image and artistic choices, and why you feel your cover will appeal to the appropriate audiences.
Expectations
Absences: Students will be expected to come to class on time, however, life does happen. If you are sick, have a family emergency, or an unexpected circumstance, you are expected to follow up on any missed work on your own. This can be accessed through the class wiki or your classmates. If you have any specific questions about the work you missed, please feel free to email me or come during my office hours. I am also willing to schedule meetings outside my regular office hours, if my stated ones do not fit in your schedule. I do ask, if you do schedule an outside meeting, that you show up on time, with specific questions, and all your necessary materials.Plagiarism: If I suspect a student has copied the work of a classmate or outside source, I will return the assignment to them and give them a chance to fix the plagiarism issue, within a reasonably decided block of time . I understand that unintentional accidents happen, and I will not publicly accuse you of any crime. Any issues of plagiarism will be kept in a need to know group.
Assignments: I understand that some assignments will seem harder than others, and I am more than willing to help you by answering any questions you might have. If most of your homework is completed by the day it is due, and you only have a couple clarifying questions, I will still accept the assignment by the end of the day with no penalty. If a sudden emergency occurs that keeps you from completing your homework, I will ask that your legal guardian either email, calls, or writes me a note explaining why it is you could not complete the assignment. I will accept the assignment the next day at the start of class with no penalty if these requirements are met.
Classroom Expectations: I ask that students respect me, their peers, and the classroom by treating all as they would like to be treated. Any outside conflicts or problems will be asked to be left at the door upon entering, and will not distract from the day's lesson. If you feel you need a few minutes to collect yourself, I will allow an opportunity to get a drink, take a walk to the bathroom, and take a few deep breaths. If something is happening that you feel you need to bring to my attention, I ask that you wait for a moment when the class is working and I will glad meet with you in the hall. Any stories or personal experiences shared in glass will be respected and will stay within the classroom.
Point Total for Unit: 200 points.
Benchmarks
• Brochure: Using Microsoft to create a brochure that advertises the themes, using at least four themes from the short story I read aloud to the class. The brochures will have accurate themes from the short story, with correct descriptions and explanations. The overall brochures should be engaging and show clear, organized thought. This assignment is worth 10 points.• Glogster: Students will create a collage depicting the relationship between a character and a theme. Students must utilize at least one component of sound and/or video in their glogster, and at least four pictures. The correlation between the character and themes should be understandable, and accurate to how the character they choose is represented in "The Golden Compass." This assignment if worth 20 points.
• Comic Life: Students will create a comic that depicts the difference between a theme and a moral. Each comic must have at least two panels, but no more than six. The definitions should be clear and in the student's own words, based off of the definitions given in the previous class with visuals that add to the explanation. This assignment is worth 10 points.
• Blog: Students will write a blog entry for every chapter, analyzing and theme and connecting it to what happened. Each blog is expected to have corrected grammar and spelling, using complete sentences and thoughts. Students may utilize videos, pictures, or some other form of media that adds to their blog entry. Overall each entry should show clear evidence that the student has done the reading and has thought constructively about what they have read. This assignment is worth 20 points.
• Digital Portfolio: At the end of the book, students will create a digital portfolio that shows how a particular theme has progressed and changed throughout the the story. Each portfolio must have at least five artifacts that show the development of one theme throughout the course of "The Golden Compass." Students will utilize work done by their classmates and will exchange thoughts and ideas about the various themes through blogs, glogsters, brochures, etc. This assignment is worth 25 points.
• Timeline: Students will use "ReadWriteThink" to track the vital points of the story and connect it to a theme. Each timeline must include at least ten events, with each supported by a theme. Students are allowed to use a theme multiple times, but must use at least two. The timeline should show constructive thinking about the themes as they progress through "The Golden Compass." This assignment is worth 15 points.
Final Performance Task is worth 100 points.
Grading Scale
A (93 -100), A- (90 - 92), B+ (87 - 89), B (83 - 86), B- (80 - 82), C+(77 - 79), C (73-76), C- (70 - 72), D+(67 - 69), D (63 - 66), D- (60 - 62), F (0 - 59).